A man who faced needing a prosthetic nose after snorting cocaine has joined doctors in warning of the dangers of the drug. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors in Lanarkshire have urged people to beware after seeing a rise in the number of patients who have suffered irreparable damage to the nasal septum after continued snorting of cocaine.
Damage to the nasal septum (the cartilage and bone inside the nose) can cause the nose to collapse and can lead to patients having their nose removed and being fitted with a prosthetic nose. Fraser, 49, who did not wish to give his surname, saw his nose start to collapse after he snorted cocaine regularly, and was told it may have to be removed.
However, following several consultations, Natarajan Balaji, an ENT consultant at University Hospital Monklands (UHM), carried out reconstructive surgery at the end of last year and rebuilt the 49-year-old’s nose. Fraser said: “I cannot thank the ENT team at Monklands enough. Having been told I would lose my nose and to then be told they would be able to rebuild it was incredible.
